Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. We are very close to 11 o'clock and I know that on Bill C-35, one member was to have spoken and the bill did carry. I want to take the opportunity to thank members for doing that.

Perhaps if some members are ready, and I know many members wanted to make statements under Standing Order 31, the House could consider moving to statements by members for those members who are already in the Chamber and ready with their statements.

I know that at this time of year members want to make statements before they go home for the summer. Perhaps Mr. Speaker, you may want to check that out.

I am more than happy to. I am in the hands of the House, of course. I wonder if we might not suspend for five minutes unless there is a plethora of statements ready. Does the member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast wish to participate in this point of order?

Mr. Speaker, just to agree with what you were saying. We could suspend for five minutes and give our members a chance to be here. I know that these statements are extremely important and Canadians out there are waiting anxiously to hear them.

Mr. Speaker, as the time for summer recess draws near, Parliament has once again managed to prove its own irrelevance. Standing committees are charged with the responsibility of scrutinizing estimates to determine if requested funds are justified, and if not, to reduce them. All too often this process is really a rubber stamp of whatever is requested.

This year, the transport committee did its job. It determined that VIA Rail had not needed all of its operating budget last year, yet was looking for an increase it could not justify to the committee. The committee reduced the requested amount.

The minister then came before the committee and attempted to brow beat and threaten members into changing their position without offering any justification for the increase. The committee stood firm. “No problem”, said the minister, “I will simply put the money back in and tell Liberals how they must vote”. The Liberals obeyed.

We have always known that voting is directed by the PMO. We now have proof that committees that are supposed to be masters of their own proceedings are ultimately subject to the same dictatorial process and Canadians will continue to pay out money that should have stayed in their own pockets.

Mr. Speaker, this weekend seven members of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets 795 Squadron of Iqaluit will be participating in a citizenship trip to Ottawa. This will be the first time to Ottawa for some of these teens. They will also be taking part in several activities, including a full day at the National Aviation Museum and visits to the Canadian War Museum and the National War Memorial. This trip was made possible under the national cadet program under national defence and also with local support from the Royal Canadian Legion Iqaluit.

On behalf of my constituents of Nunavut, I congratulate the cadets and their instructors and wish them well on a very successful and highly informative weekend, including a tour of the Parliament Buildings on Monday.

Mr. Speaker, today we wish to pay tribute to a friend, Daniel Bleau, who died in a fishing accident on June 7, at the foot of the Saint-Maurice falls north of La Tuque.

Daniel was the general manager of the Val D'Or regional airport from 1985 to 1990, and had also managed several other airports in Quebec. Recently, he was the assistant regional manager for eastern Canada programs with Transport Canada at Dorval.

Mr. Bleau was always personally involved in the communities where he worked. This senior public servant always saw his projects through to completion in an exemplary way.

We, his friends and colleagues in Canada and in Quebec, want to tell his children, Jean-Sébastien, Geneviève and François-Xavier Alexandre, his parents, Thérèse and Jean-Paul Bleau, his brothers and sisters, and his entire family that we will never forget how hard Daniel worked to make the world a better place.

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I had the pleasure of listening to the Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Children's Choir perform in the Centre Block rotunda on Parliament Hill. As anyone who heard them will attest, they sang like angels.

The Children's Choir was formed in 1986 and has been led by Director Carol Giesbrecht ever since. The Children's Choir introduces preteen children to the sounds and the experience of choral music and has been a resounding success, growing from 25 children to over 80 in its 17 year history. The choir has released a CD called “Songs of the Season”, which is a tribute to the hard work of Mrs. Shelagh Santi of the Parents Committee and the many volunteers who have contributed to the choir's success.

I wish to extend my thanks and appreciation to all the members of the Kitchener-Waterloo Children's Philharmonic Choir for sharing their outstanding gift with all of us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend a warm personal invitation to all MPs and to Canadians from across the land to attend the premier agricultural exhibition of 2003.

This year Ontario's International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Show is being held in beautiful Lanark County, just a few minutes west of Ottawa, from September 17-21. The International Plowing Match is also known as Rural Expo, and it is a wonderful opportunity to experience Ontario's rural culture and rural heritage. Anyone lucky enough to attend will bask in the warmth of Lanark County hospitality.

Although there has been support from all levels of government, it is truly the hard work and dedication of 1,700 volunteers, led by Gord and Ann Munroe, that will ensure the success of this huge undertaking.

Lanark's International Plowing Match is a chance for rural Canadians to show city dwellers why we love country life so much. Come along, and love it too.